Irony is simply a literary device involving opposites–either in meaning, outcome, or interpretation. Typically, when something is ironic it’s because what you thought was actually the opposite of what really was. That sounds a bit confusing. Let’s see if being specific can help with this vagueness.
There are several types of irony–some you learned in English class, others you might never have heard of:
Verbal irony. Ah, the irony everyone knows and loves–the most basic form of sarcasm. This is when something is said, but the speaker means the opposite. (“I love your hair!”)
Situational irony. Usually when someone says, “Well, isn’t this ironic?” it’s situational irony. If you’ve done something and the outcome was the opposite of your intention, you’ve got it.
Dramatic irony. Remember this one from English class? Of course you do. If your class was anything like mine, this concept was tied with barbed wire to your lessons on Romeo and Juliet. Dramatic irony involves the audience knowing more than a character and therefore seeing that character’s mistake ahead of time.
Comic irony. Wikipedia assures me this is a specific type of irony. Irony is “comic” when it’s humorous–in many cases, irony is actually not funny. Seriously, take a look at most instances of irony and you’ll find some rather unfunny stuff.
Tragic irony. Those cases where irony isn’t funny? Yeah, they’re considered “tragic”. Specifically, this usually applies to dramatic irony–the “tragic” part comes from the traditional “tragedy versus comedy” aspect of stage performance; tragedy having a sad ending and comedy having a happy ending.
Historical irony. Here’s one you probably haven’t heard of. Historical irony occurs when reality acts like literature and, well, ironic stuff happens. Like World War I being called the “war to end all wars” or Sega releasing the Dreamcast. (Okay, so maybe the second one isn’t irony so much as bad timing.)
Socratic irony.(Rhetorical) Socratic irony is simply another name for the Socratic method; that is, asking questions you know the answer to in order to spark debate or trap the person you’re arguing against. A "baited" question that is awkward for the person to answer in light of what has been said.
Types, Definitions and Examples
TYPE OF IRONY
DEFINTION OF TYPE
EXAMPLE OF TYPE
VERBAL
SAYING ONE THING AND MEANING ANOTHER.
IF I REALLY DIDN’T LIKE MY FRIEND’S HAIR, BUT COMMENTED, “OH, I REALLY LIKE YOUR HAIR!”
SITUATIONAL
EVENTS TURN OUT DIFFERENTLY THAN EXPECTED.
YOU WIN A MILLION DOLLARS, AND YOU DIE THE NEXT DAY (“IRONIC” BY ALANIS MORISETTE)
DRAMATIC
WHEN THE AUDIENCE KNOWS MORE THAN THE CHARACTERS.
IN A HORROR MOVIE, WHEN THE AUDIENCE KNOWS THE MONSTER IS IN THE CLOSET, BUT THE CHARACTER DOESN’T.
Irony in Dead PoetsIsn't it Ironic
Literary Devices
Irony
What is irony?
Irony is simply a literary device involving opposites–either in meaning, outcome, or interpretation. Typically, when something is ironic it’s because what you thought was actually the opposite of what really was. That sounds a bit confusing. Let’s see if being specific can help with this vagueness.
There are several types of irony–some you learned in English class, others you might never have heard of:
Types, Definitions and Examples